Variax 500 Sound Qaulity plus electrics

[mgw5678]

Hi can someone help please, does the Variax 500 lefty Sound the same as all the others. I have the opportunity to buy one and I’m not sure good they are.

cheers

mark

[cruisinon2]

The modeling algorithms are what they are, and they have no idea whether they're installed in a lefty or righty guitar...

[psarkissian]

Models are the same in right handed and left handed 500's.

[psarkissian]

I concur. Always a good idea.

[mgw5678]

9 hours ago, psarkissian said:

I concur. Always a good idea.

Thanks everyone for your help, the guitar has hardly been played. I wanted to know if the electronics etc are the same in the new models as this 500 as I’ll probably ditch the 500 body and install the electrics and hardware in a strat build. Will it also be compatible to all the new software etc.

many thanks

Mark

[cruisinon2]

6 hours ago, mgw5678 said:

Thanks everyone for your help, the guitar has hardly been played. I wanted to know if the electronics etc are the same in the new models as this 500 as I’ll probably ditch the 500 body and install the electrics and hardware in a strat build. Will it also be compatible to all the new software etc.

many thanks

Mark

 

Transplanting the guts into a Strat, while certainly possible, is not as simple as swapping a set of pickups... and you will likely find that the sound of the models is affected by a different guitar body. Won't necessarily be a bad thing, but its a bigger undertaking than you think... you're not gonna fit everything into the existing cavity on a Strat body. Routing awaits...

[mgw5678]

Ah, that sounds like to much work when I can just enjoy it for what it is. Any thoughts on diffiferences it sound quality of guitars between the more expensive Variaxes to the 5000?

Is it possible to upgrade  the electronics, they don’t make it easy for lefty players.

[cruisinon2]

10 minutes ago, mgw5678 said:

Ah, that sounds like to much work when I can just enjoy it for what it is. Any thoughts on diffiferences it sound quality of guitars between the more expensive Variaxes to the 5000?

 

Never played anything but my JTV...couldn't tell ya.

[mgw5678]

Thanks for that really good to hear that the 500 is worth getting and I agree I’m not going to bother with the transplant.

cheers

mark

[jerseyboy]

I’ve got countless professional hours on both 500’s and JTV59’s.  Each generation have pros/cons.  I love my 500’s and some of the models simply sound more to my liking than supposedly same/similar models on the JTV/HD.  Maybe it’s because I’m more used to em over 10 years with my 500’s?  

 

But some of the HD models sound better than similar 500 models.  It’s crazy and all over the map but I find myself more often using JTV59 simply because the magnetic pickups sound really good for LP type axe.  

 

Obviously, the 500 is all models all the time.  It’s a great and versatile Axe but the JTV59 pups help bring a sense of “comparison” to Variax modeling.  I’d estimate 80-90% of my playing relies on magnetic pups and I merely use the models for a few tuning, modeling needs here and there.  

 

Many 500’s suffer from dreadful fretwork.  Get that sorted out if it’s a problem and with a proper setup nothing wrong with a good old 500.  It’s my preference out of all of the 1st generations because of the fixed bridge.  I don’t like to use whammy/vibrato bridges very often.  

 

 

[cbrillow]

I have a 500, a 600 and a JTV-59. The 500 replaced my Strat Plus Deluxe as my go-to guitar for a long time. (bought it when the Variax was initially released and never looked back...)

 

I'm not an extremely critical -- nor proficient! -- guitarist, and never had any complaints about the quality of the instrument. It was fine for my needs and felt pretty good in my hands. Then, about 5 years ago,  I bought the JTV-59, touted as being a superior instrument, with updated electronics. Despite the upgrades, I didn't warm to it for the longest time, and continued to use the 500. 

 

When the HD models came out for the JTV-59, I updated the firmware to evaluate them. That was a significant letdown! There were some improvements, arguably most prevalent on the acoustic models, but I felt that some of the electrics -- particularly the Stratocaster models -- lost a lot!

 

The past year, an opportunity arose that prompted me to begin to us the '59 as my main guitar, as a fill-in guitarist in a classic rock band. I'd imagined it being a great fit, owing to its versatility, but actually wound up using the mag pickups exclusively.

 

For me, the modeling is most useful for acoustics, specialty instruments and alternate tunings. Other than that, I like the security afforded by the mag pickups. And I continue to prefer, on the whole, the pre-HD models found on the older Variax instruments. Wish it were not so -- I love technology! 

[mgw5678]

Thanks so much for all the feedback I really eppreciate it.